Prerelease content in Strider (CPS-1)
This article lists all known conceptual and prerelease content related to the Arcade version of Strider. Concept phase Isuke's original vision for Strider was of a much grander scale than the final product, with Yotsui stating that he only got "halfway" through of everything he envisioned for the game. According to him, his ambitious ideas were limited by the technology he had at his disposal, which nearly always felt short of reproducing the scenes and ideas he had in mind. One example he provided of an unused setpiece would have seen the player having to outrun incoming missiles.Robson, Daniel (October 2014). "The Making of...Strider". Edge (271). Pg. 96-99. As seen on the first page of Isuke's hand-written setting document, the game's title was initially written as " ", with the first word in English rather than katakana. One of the earliest pieces of artwork created for the game bears a logo with a similar concept. Enemies There were originally more enemies planned to be included in the game, among them a specific group of robot enemies wearing stylish clothes, in contrast with the other, military-themed enemies. In the end, however, the enemy count was reduced to the bare minimum and all clothed robots were scrapped, with the fur hat-wearing Rascal being the only surviving element of the original intention.Scion; Dire 51 (April 24, 2010). "Interview with Kouichi "Isuke" Yotsui". LSCM 4.0. Translated by Gaijin Punch. Accessed October 19, 2018. Hiryu's sprite was originally much bigger than in the final version, but since enemy sprites were drawn smaller in comparison, Hiryu's sprite was adapted so he wouldn't stand out.Capcom (March 10, 2014). "Capcom Legends Chapter 3: The Running Ninja from the Future, Hiryu!" (Japanese). Capcom's official site. Accessed October 19, 2018 Stage order According to early magazine previews, the game featured a "selection system" ( ) meant to determine which stage would continue after the second between the "Amazon" and "Flying Battleship" stagesZuru (October 1, 1988). "Preview: Strider Hiryû". Gamest (25). Pg. 5. While no specifics were provided, it's possible it was dependent on the player's skills and the game's Dynamic Difficulty. This feature appears to have been scrapped by the game's presentation in the 1988 AM Show, where previews noted the Amazon stage as the 3rd stageZatsu-kun (December 1, 1988). "'88 AM Show Report: Strider Hiryû". Gamest (27). Pg. 5. The idea would, however, be revisited in Strider 2, where the player can choose the playing order of the first 3 stages. The Balrog and Amazon stages were also initially swapped around, with the former being the 4th stage and the latter the 3rd. Prototype Arcade builds featuring the Amazon as the 3rd stage were displayed during the AM Show event and other location tests. Although the reasons behind the switch are unknown, Project X Zone 2 Capcom supervisor Kazuhiro Tsuchiya mentioned in an interview he remembers having played the game during a location test with the stages swapped, and comments that difficulty rose considerably after the switch, thinking it may have been due to people like him and his friends who sped through the game/stage.Staff (November 4, 2015). "Project X Zone 2: Brave New World Cross-talk interview with Developers going beyond the boundaries of the manufacturer (Part 2) (Japanese). famitsu.com. Accessed October 19, 2018 Leftovers of the whole switcheroo still remain in both the game's internal stage ID list, with Amazon under ID 02, right after Siberia (ID 01) and before the Balrog (ID 03); and the internal list of music, as all the names of music related to the Amazon are preceded by "3ST", while names of music from the Balrog are preceded by "4ST". The incorrect stage order is also displayed in all the European computer ports made by Tiertex. Prerelease content Before August/September 1988 Screenshots distributed as part of the press kit provided to game magazines such as Gamest were taken from what appears to be an early build of the Arcade. These screenshots were published around the end of August/beginning of September 1988 in Gamest's 25th issue, shortly before the game's reveal at the AM Show. Some of these screenshots were also printed in Arcade flyers, and years later reutilized in previews of the PC Engine port, for a long time confusing fans about whether they were early screens from the purpoted port of Strider to the SuperGrafx that never materialized. These screenshots cover the first three stages only (St. Petersburg, Siberia and the Amazon), showing a number of notable differences from the final release. AM Show 1988 Playable prototype cabinets of Strider were setup at the Amusement Machine Show event held in September 1988. This prototype version is closer to the final release and has most of the differences from the preview screenshots already altered or removed. As stated above, the reported "selection system" was not featured by this point in development. One difference with the final release can be seen in the fire hazard during Mecha Pon's destruction: the sprites are simpler and duller than in the released game, and the fire didn't extend across the entire floor, only covering a small area around Mecha Pon's head. The Amazon stage was still the 3rd stage in order and the Amazoness sprite still retained her exposed breast in this build as well. It is possible Arcade cabinets with the early localized title "The Falcon" existed as well at the convention, as English magazines covering the event referred to the game by that titleHogg, Robin (December 1988). "Confrontation: Coin-op". The Games Machine (13). Pg. 28-29, and unused sprites for a title screen of "The Falcon" can be found in the released game. By the beginning of 1989 the English title was reverted back to Strider.Hogg, Robin (March 1989). "Confrontation: Coin-op". The Games Machine (16). Pg. 69. Strider_AM_Show_stage2.png|Mecha Pon's fire during the Arcade build Amazoness_dec_88.png|Screenshot from the December 1988 issue of Gamest, showing the uncovered sprite February 1989 Screenshots from the February 1989 issue of Gamest shows the first known appearance of the leaf sprite used to cover the Amazoness enemy's exposed chest, a fact the article's writer points out.Zatsu-kun Hofu (February 1, 1989). "Preview: Strider Hiryu". Gamest (29). Pg. 4 This article is based on the game's appearance during the AOU Show held the same month, so these screenshots are likely from a playable build seen there. This event also saw the reveal of the Balrog stage, now listed under its final position as the game's 3rd stage. Capcom Game Syndrome build The Arcade build used to film the Capcom Game Syndrome VHS walkthrough has the tilting platform from the Sky Thunder Mk-II colored gold instead of silver. This version also includes music not featured in any known build of the game. References